


Alone, Together

by VisiblyHidden



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, It’s not like super angsty but it’s angsty ya feel me?, One-Shot, Post TLJ, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-25 05:17:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20019604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisiblyHidden/pseuds/VisiblyHidden
Summary: Post TLJ: Ben and Rey have a heart to heart while they’re stranded in a cave on Tatooine.





	Alone, Together

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this prompt:
> 
> “I’m just too dangerous.”
> 
> “I’m not afraid of you.”

Hidden deep in a cave to escape a sandstorm, Rey couldn’t help but stare at Ben. He’d said nothing since the two of them had come to this cave seeking shelter, away from the storm that raged outside. He was still wearing his First Order garb, and she could see sweat beginning to pool at the back of his neck. Vaguely, she wondered how he hadn’t collapsed due to the many layers of dark clothes he was currently wearing. Evidently, Ben was not used to the harsh environment of Tatooine, unlike Rey.

“I’m just too dangerous, Rey.” He said, in more of a whisper to himself, than anyone else. It was said so suddenly, and so quietly, that she was unsure if he’d actually said anything at first. But she knew what she’d heard.

Rey moved closer just then, resting her hand against Ben’s cheek, slick with sweat from the immense heat of Tatooine.

He tried to pull away from her, but she stopped him before he could. Rey probed the tether that led to their bond, and she was instantly met with resistance. He didn’t want her to see or _ feel _any of what lay beyond. But Rey was nothing, if not persistent. She pushed forward until that invisible wall broke down, and finally came face to face with all the emotional turmoil he’d tried so hard to keep hidden.

Ben _ hated _ himself. He truly believed himself a monster, who could never be redeemed. She could _ feel _ the immense regret he felt for every terrible deed he’d done, and beyond that, she felt his aching need for _ her_, and just how much he hated himself for wanting her, when he believed he had no right to.

When she withdrew from his mind, Ben instantly recoiled from her. He was ashamed that she’d seen all his weaknesses laid bare, and worse yet, his _ desire _ for her.

“I’m not afraid of you, Ben.” She said it with such conviction, that he almost believed her.

“You should be. I’ve done so many terrible things, I don’t understand how you can even stand to look at me.”

“But I’m not. I can look at you because I _ know _ you. I _ know _ this isn’t who you want to be.” She paused for a moment, looking into his dark eyes. “No one is so far gone, that they can never come back.”

“No one would ever accept me, Rey. Not after everything I’ve done.”

“I do. I accept you, Ben, for the person you are now. I can see how much you wish to be better.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m not good for you. Why can’t you understand that?” Dammit, his stubbornness would be the end of her, she knew.

“Why don’t you let me decide what’s good for me? I’m fully capable of making my own choices, Ben.”

“That’s not...what I meant was-”

“Shh. Stop with these excuses.” Rey moved even closer now, and she was able to feel Ben tense up as she did so. “Are you afraid of me?”

He looked at her for a moment, startled by her strange question. “Yes,” he answered softly.

“Don’t be. Don’t you know that we’re stronger when we act as one? Don’t you understand that so long as you walk the straight path forward, I will _ always _ be by your side reminding you of how _good_ you are?”

“I know.”

“Then trust me.”

“I do, Rey. I do.”

And in that moment, Rey gathered up all of her courage, and kissed Ben. He seemed utterly shocked by the looks of it. Reluctantly, she pulled away, resting her forehead against his. “You’re not alone, Ben.”

“Neither are you.”

* * *


End file.
